Corkscrew

A month swimming the desert for a single oasis

Those small drops to return to heaven

That golden ring flies and buzzes but never lands

Upon a face that is undivine

Another Joseph of the manger

To adapt is to overcome but

drill deeper in and never taste the sweet wine

Pull back, and let all others enjoy the fruit of that labor

Maybe you should stay still

Rust and let time drag on,

no longer a tool, just an obstruction

Wait at this screen for eternity

Stare forward, nothing else exists

All that has not been done will drown you

You sleep a million times to dream what others dream

And in these clouds, you continue to only look down

No other hand must rotate this earth

No other eyes must welcome the day

No other heart must heat the sun

That desire to journey to an unknown continent must be uninhabited

These leaves that must rustle

These vines that must cling

There must be that once-blazed trail of another man?

It must be possible to be proud

That clementine mist arises of a late sunset

I discover the balcony is obstructed by another's masterpiece

To see what is made and all that is to be done

How can I compare?

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With internships coming, summer beginning, and semesters ending, I wanted to write about ambition. If there was ever a double-edged sword it was this. It is a desire. And much like the Buddhist belief in desire, ambition is the root of misery for many people. Yes, it is what promotes us, inspires us, drives us to be better and better versions of ourselves, to never rest on laurels, and gives us aspirations that make life worth living, but it also creates unhealthy competitiveness, unrealistic expectations, jealousy, and disappointment, all of which can spiral into worse conditions that can deteriorate a person. This short poem makes an attempt to analyze the disappointment of ambition. It takes a look at the depressed jealousy that often comes from viewing other's achievements if they are similar to the aspirations of oneself. I find that social media and the constant buzz of consumerism mixes with this time of brief transition before the next semester and can create a toxic mix of self-doubt for any person. It is a measure of personal progress and it is very easy and human to downplay one's own achievements when faced with someone seemingly miles ahead of yourself. In all, I wanted to write about expectation, progress, and comparison: ambition.